Herbig Haro 111:
A Pulsed Astrophysical Jet
Jets or beams of gas are a common phenomena in astrophysics. Astronomers
see high speed jets being beamed out many environments including stars
that are just forming as well as the heart of giant galaxies.
The image you see here is of Herbig-Haro
111. The young star star which
formed this jet
is at the bottom of the picture surrounded a disk of gas. The knots
above the star form due to pulses in the jet beam. For reasons
astronomers still do not understand these jets seem to turn on and off
periodically like a garden sprinkler. The size scale of the jet is about
one thousandth
of a light-year.
There are other examples of pulsed jets. Some of the jets come from
young stars and others come from regions around black holes!
Click on the images below to see some more.
 
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